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Since electricity is a key utility for most firms and organisations, it’s important to carry out a business electricity comparison exercise to ensure you’re not overpaying for this. There are simple steps needed when looking for a new business electricity supplier and how to switch to their service. Firstly, finding the best tariff deal that will meet your firm’s needs can be tricky but using the expertise and experience of D-Energi means the process becomes much simpler. You will need to appreciate that when you compare business electricity prices there are several factors that suppliers will take into account including the size of your premises, the number of people in there and how much electricity you consume. The location of your business will also have an effect on the prices being charged. A business energy comparison The other big issue when a firm undertakes a business energy comparison is understanding how the bills are made up. This means there is a need to appreciate that the ‘unit cost’ is the amount paid per unit of electricity or gas that is used by a business. It’s measured in kilowatt hours or kWh. There’s also a standing charge, which is the fee levied every day to help maintain the National Grid and cover the costs for delivering electricity and gas to your premises. Business gas comparison exercise As with sourcing a new electricity provider, when you begin a business gas comparison exercise you will have to appreciate that the energy prices being quoted are based on wholesale costs. However, these will vary from day-to-day and they can be difficult to predict and will, inevitably, increase during cold winter months. Essentially, while business prices tend to be less expensive than for our homes do not forget VAT is charged at 20% and not at 5% as for domestic dwellings. You also need to appreciate the difference between a fixed rate and a flexible tariff when you begin a comparison exercise but you could access the experience of a team that deals with this issue every day. The other big advantage for doing so is that they will have access to every supplier and will be able to get the best prices when doing so. This means contacting the friendly team at D-Energi who can help you carry out a business electricity comparison, and also for gas, to ensure you access the best deal possible to meet your everyday business needs.

If you want to enjoy the lowest business gas rates available, then you’ll need to do some homework first. That’s because the UK’s business gas supply market is extremely competitive and depending on your location and needs there will undoubtedly be a cheaper deal available. It’s just a question of finding it. While you could contact business gas suppliers directly, this is obviously time-consuming and if you restrict your search to the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers, you may find their offers are fairly similar. Find a business gas supplier You could use a comparison site to find a business gas supplier and compare their offerings, but the site may not be searching the whole market so you will probably miss out on cheaper, better deals. Also, don’t be baffled by industry jargon and you will need to calculate what a new supplier is offering with their unit rate and standing charge. Be wary of an offer with much lower unit rates as this may have a higher standing charge to compensate. The best time to search for a new business gas supplier is when your current contract is due to end as this opens a window of opportunity to move providers. Failing to do this may see you being rolled onto a ‘deemed’ contract, which tends to have higher rates, and you may be tied into this new contract for 12 months, depending on the size of your firm. Searching for cheaper business gas bills Another tactic when searching for cheaper business gas bills is to opt for a longer business energy contract. Most suppliers will offer a one-year deal but it is possible to access deals of two and three years and potentially up to five years. This will help some firms with cash flow and business planning. However, you also need to appreciate that once you agree to switch there’s no ‘cooling off’ period, as there is when arranging energy for our homes, and if you cancel a new contract then there may be a penalty to be paid. The other important consideration is that when it comes to switching business gas supplier is the fact they will offer a contract that is tailored to your needs. So, as such, there is not really an off-the-shelf offering which makes comparing different contracts on a like-for-like basis more difficult. Thankfully, there is help at hand and the D-Energi team can explain more about how you and your firm can enjoy low business gas rates by simply switching providers.

The energy costs for your business or organisation is made up with unit rates which is the price you pay for each unit of energy so you will need to compare business energy per kWh (kilowatt hour) deals between providers. Also, you will need to take into account the standing charge, which is an amount that goes towards paying for supplying electricity and gas to your premises – usually calculated on a daily basis. However, comparing business electricity and gas tariffs per kilowatt hour can be complicated because you will be looking at separate quotes from providers for these utilities. This will then make it more difficult working out which is the best value deal for your firm’s needs but looking at the price per kilowatt-hour makes this job easier. Best cheap business gas and electric supplier Finding the best cheap business gas and electric supplier will mean selecting the right tariff from a supplier’s offerings and knowing how much energy you use during the year means that calculating average prices per kWh will give you a good idea of what the new deal will cost. However, the unit price per kilowatt hour will vary depending on your geographic location and the industry you are in and also how many employees you have now – and plan to have in the future. Also, the size of your business will have an impact with micro-businesses paying slightly more than a small business who will pay slightly more than a medium business will do. Cheap business gas supplier Finding a cheap business gas supplier, and also for electricity, also means appreciating the standing charges they have which do vary between suppliers and sometimes these differences can be huge. For example, a potential new supplier may offer an impressive price per kilowatt hour but have a much higher standing charge to make up for this. Effectively, your firm will not be making any real savings and switching to a new provider may end up costing you more. In addition, most business owners are very busy with their day-to-day responsibilities so finding the time to source a new energy supplier will not be easy. The best way for a business owner to compare business energy per kilowatt hour deals between providers is to speak with the friendly team at D-Energi who can do this on your behalf and, in a few minutes, find a cheaper, better deal than you currently enjoy.

For large business users of energy, an effective way to reduce overheads is to save with half hourly electricity deals. One way of doing this is to have these half hourly – or HH – meters installed to enable business electricity customers to obtain more accurate bills. That’s because their electricity usage is being recorded and sent to their supplier every 30 minutes, hence the term half hourly meters. Most big users of electricity will have these meters already. Also, larger businesses tend to have unique energy needs and, for example, they may be using heavy equipment or running production lines to higher levels than a smaller counterpart will do. Search for half hourly electricity prices In the search for half hourly electricity prices, then your business and a potential new supplier can access the data of your electricity usage to put together a bespoke offering. Since a supplier will be able to understand the detail of how a firm is using electricity, they can then offer a flexible contract that is tailored to their unique needs. As a result, large business users of electricity will be able to budget with some certainty over agreed energy prices or they could still opt for a variable price contract. If you own a large business and are wondering whether you have HH meters installed then you should check with your supplier. It’s also possible for a new supplier or a broker to offer a consultancy service that will check whether you have been overcharged previously for your electricity usage and the consultant can start the process for a refund. A consultancy will also help your firm reduce the amount of electricity it uses to help deliver real long-term savings. Attractions for half hourly electricity suppliers One of the big attractions for half hourly electricity suppliers is that they will be able to calculate peak times for energy use and recommend cheaper non-peak times to help lower bills. Also, half hourly meters ensure that the firm is paying the correct amount at all times for its electricity usage. Sourcing a half hourly electricity quote means checking with suppliers directly, but they can vary hugely in their offers or a firm could speak with experts who understand how the half-hourly electricity supply market works. That will mean contacting the friendly team at D-Energi who will be able to explain more about half hourly electricity deals and find a bespoke quote to help you reduce your firm’s overheads.

While most business owners will have a busy day running their organisation, appreciating a few tips on how to enjoy lower business energy prices could pay dividends. This means looking at your firm’s energy bill to understand the unit rate, the standing charge, and the contract end date. The unit rate is the amount your firm is paying for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of gas or electricity you are using. However, achieving a lower rate from a new provider does not necessarily mean that you will be paying the lowest possible price for your energy. Essentially, you will need to consider how much energy you use and then find a suitable tariff that matches your needs; a low unit rate may be preferable for heavy users but smaller firms may prefer a higher unit rate but with a low or no standing charge. Standing charge from your business energy supplier This issue of the standing charge from your business energy supplier needs to be considered carefully and it’s the amount you pay every day for energy to be supplied to your premises. This price is fixed and does not depend on how much energy you are using. When searching for new energy providers, you will realise that business electricity suppliers will have a standing charge, but not every business gas supplier will do. However, even if there is no standing charge the cost of delivering energy to your premises may be included in the unit rate. In addition to the unit rate and standing charge, you will need to know when your contract end date is so you can switch to a new, cheaper energy supplier. Other costs for business energy bills There are also other costs involved for firms and their business energy bills, which they will need to understand before shopping around. One of them is the Climate Change Levy, which is a cost for every unit a business uses of non-renewable energy. Not every firm will need to pay the levy if they are not big users of energy. Also, most firms will be paying VAT at 20% on their business energy bill, though for smaller users this could be as low as 5%. If you are looking for more tips and help to understand business energy prices and how you can reduce overheads by switching energy suppliers, then it’s time to speak with the team at D-Energi.

The first step, if you are looking to get the best commercial electricity rates for your business or organisation is to source as many quotes from energy suppliers as possible. For comparison purposes, you will need to source quotes that are based on your current needs to find the best deal. This issue also extends to micro and small businesses since some suppliers will have specific tariffs to meet their needs. A micro business is defined as an operation with 10 or fewer employees and turning over less than £2 million per year. Also, a micro business must be offered extra support when switching suppliers and have more details about how their current tariff compares with the old one. Commercial electricity quote Your firm’s business electricity quote also needs to consider whether you are looking for a fixed tariff – that’s where your electricity costs will remain the same throughout the contract. And while fixed tariffs tend to be cheaper you will be tied into a contract until it ends and cannot switch providers before then. The alternative is to consider a flexible energy contract, so you may have to pay for energy upfront but there will be lower rates offered for this purpose – though should the price of energy fall during the contract, then this will not deliver any savings. Alternatively, it is possible for firms to install a smart meter, so they pay for the electricity they use or you could source renewable energy from providers and boost your environmental credentials. Considering electric prices between providers The next important issue when considering electric prices between providers is how the supplier puts their quote together. In order to access the cheapest tariff, you need to appreciate the unit price, that is the cost per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity used, plus the standing charge, this is a fee paid daily for the supply of electricity. So, while a potential new supplier may have a low unit price, they may have a higher standing charge, so your electric bill may actually increase when switching providers under these terms. If you would like more help and information on how to get the best commercial electricity rates, then you need to contact the experts at D-Energi.